I considered to build my own trailer but because of all red tape that sticks to a home built trailer for 80 km/h (50 mph) I went for a conversion.

This is how I converted a motorboat trailer to a TI trailer.Se pictures belowThe post has been edited. The texts are now above each related picture.

1. The trailer is an Easyline 450 (Corresponds to Thule 500) This type of trailer with no breaks is usually referred to as "Eurotrailer".

2. I detached winch tower and side support rollers. (On the picture the new bar is already fitted)

3. I saved one side support clamp for locking the new bar

4. I had a new steel bar made for moving the aft keel roller further back. I had the new bar galvanized. The bar is 1920 mm long with a square section of 30 x 30 x 3 mm. The end part will be modified, se below. I made two beams of impregnated pine, which I treated with wood oil. The dimensions are 70 x 70 x 1360 mm. 70 mm was selected in order to get the amas high enough to clear the mudguards.

5. I fixed the beams with square necked bolts M10 (140 mm) and double pieces of 2.5 mm galvanized steel. I was fortunate to find standard pieces. The wood screws (8 x 50 mm) are for fitting the cradles to the wood beams and also the black D-rings for securing the boat. Screws are suitable for impregnated wood and uses T40 bits. I use washers under all screwheads.

6. I reinforced the boltholes in the wood with stainless nails, as square necked bolts tend to rotate in soft wood. (I had to countersink a bit to make the bolts flush with the wood as the cradle hit the spot where the bolts are located. Hence I had to hit the nails further into the wood. Do not use nylock nuts with square necked bolts as they may make the bolts go round in the wood.

7. The new bar fits nicely into the pulling bar.

8. The bar can be pushed in. I limited the length in order not to hit the light cable that goes into the pulling beam at the Y-junction.

9. The new bar is locked by the existing clamp.

10. Licence plate and light panel was removed to fit the new bar. It is also removed at launching.

11. Licence plate and light panel fitted again.

12. The cradles are fitted to the wood beams. I did fit the aft beam just behind the mudguard and the front beam 67” (1700 mm) in front of the aft beam. The measurement is centre to centre.

13. The forward cradle is placed under the forward well.

14. The aft cradle is placed just at the aft edge of the aft well.

15. I was lucky that the forvard keel roller fitted without any modifications.

16. I misjudged the height of the aft roller and therefore I will have to make some addition to the new bar.

17. The amas fits just inside the mudgards. The distance between the mudguards is 1170 mm. The width of the TI is actually 1220 mm but the amas are rounded off at the bottom.

The mudguards look like they will contact the Amas at some point while on the road. My experience is that ANYTHING that contacts the soft hulls while will cause scratching or deformation while transporting. Straps, racks, hull on hull, bungee balls, fenders,..

Can you shim the Ama cradles or "play" with the fender angle (hand me the rubber mallet) to increase the separation?

Hi NOHUHU,Thanks for pointing out the risk of contact. On the pic showing the mudguard it looks that there is contact but there is actually air between the mudguard and the ama. However there is an option to put some distance material between the frame and the plastic mudguard to create a bigger gap.

stringy,I cannot measure the overhang as my TI is in the archipelago some 55 miles away. However, I believe the overhang is less than 2 feet (600 mm). An overhang of 1 metre (39") is allowed here without flag and red light. Maybe it is easier to get an idea from the attached pic.

Hi Max,Thanks for your comments. The rope you can see on the pic was only put there to stop the TI from sliding forward when taking the photograph. I use straps for securing the TI to the trailer. I shall also fit a "nose wheel" to keep the trolley horizontal when not connected to the car. The "nose wheel" will also help when moving the trolley by hand. I will find out if the SPT Straps are available in Sweden.

Thanks for that info Bo. That is one of the best trailers I've seen for fitting the TI. There seems to be less rear overhang on your trailer than even Hobie's product! Does the roller distort the hull much?Did you consider adding a poly trailer slide strip to the light bar? That way you mightn't need to remove it.

stringy,I have not adjusted the roller fitting so far pic 16. Therefore there is no contact between the roller and the hull when loaded. For the time being I use a temporary padding for the contact. I may stick to that padding and not bother with modifying the T-bar as that may be a kinder support of the hull.

The light bar can really not take any additional load as it comes out up to one metre from the main frame and the telescopic rectangular pipes have a tiny cross section made of sheet metal. However it is meant to be removed at loading/unloading and it is very easily done as it is fitted with two wing bolts and the cable is connected with a plug (7 pins) and socket. Pics No 10 and 11 shows the arrangement (the light bar is standing against the fence). The manufacturer's idea is to take the light panel off when launching into the water as the lights are not submersible.

The overhang can be reduced by pushing the TI further forward but I chose to use both wells as support. Pics 13 and 14.

My trailer has a coupling that fits on the 50 mm steel ball on the car hook. I know that the standard of couplings varies from country to country and so does the hight of the hook. You may have to fit a coupling that fits hooks used in your country.